Edey didn't look impressive today, only got 10 minutes of tick. Williams is gonna be a load but I like our chances.
Pregame: Illinois vs Purdue, Saturday, January 2nd, 5:00pm CT, BTN
- Status
I still expect to win every home game after all these years. I certainly expect it this year.
Purdue is not that different of a team as they were last year, it doesn't seem to me. Illinois handled them then, I like them to do it again.
Purdue is not that different of a team as they were last year, it doesn't seem to me. Illinois handled them then, I like them to do it again.
Was that against Penn St? If so, then that’s the game I always think of when I try and pinpoint the beginning of the downfall of IL basketball. May we never have to go through that again.Broken by one of the most surprising and sickening Illini games I have ever seen ... McBride's waived off three.
For the record, we are currently on an 8-game home winning streak, and if we play to our potential ... that should get up to 10 or 12 (depending on what you consider the home game vs. OSU) before we host Iowa. Not quite the 33-game streak of the glory days, but it would get us back into the neighborhood of what we usually had going in the early and mid-2000s! If we win the rest of our home games - a tall task in this league but certainly not impossible - we'd be sitting at 16 straight in Champaign, going into a normal non-conference next year with an appropriate number of cupcakes! Could really get those numbers up.
But would you be galloping?
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Lol, I always forget that's in my signature until somebody references it. According to Sports Reference, through today, these are the all-time records:
Purdue: 1,844-1,039 (.640)
Illinois: 1,816-1,027 (.639)
Looking at our remaining schedules, a 12-4 finish for us would be very good but not unrealistic, and I could easily see the Boilermakers finishing 8-8. Fooling around in Excel, it looks like that would bring us to a tie with Purdue all-time, taking it out to three decimal places and actually ahead of them if you took it out further.
If we finished 13-3 and they still finished 8-8, we'd officially be the winningest program all-time in the Big Ten.
We are 89-102 vs. Purdue.
skyIdub
Winged Warrior
Illini_1979
- Oregon
I saw a game earlier this year (forget against who) but Edey looked pretty good. Moved fairly well, blocked a few shots, showed a nice touch around the basket. Hopefully, our bigs can control him but he is not some skinny 7 footer we can push around so it will be a challenge. His conditioning seems suspect. Need to get them in a running game. I still think we will win but it won't be easy.
Think we should start Trent/Giorgi off the bench and try to get Adam Miller open looks with Curbelo and Ayo...DMW, and Kofi... Curbelo will collapse the land drawing players and kicking to open shooters... Trent can bring lock down defense of the bench and instant offense... no drop off... with Granderson also and maybe a sprinkle of Hawkins...
I was just looking at this the other day ... it's kinda weird.
* We have a losing record against four B10 schools: Maryland, Purdue, IU, MSU.
* Technically, our worst winning percentage is against Maryland, but we're only 5 wins behind, at 6-11.
* We're furthest behind Purdue, at 89-102.
* IU (89-93) and MSU (60-63) are the only other schools to which we're down.
* Despite being down to Purdue, we actually have the 2nd best winning percentage against them of all their B10 opponents.
* The best winning percentage against Purdue belongs to OSU, which is the only school actually up on Purdue (91-89). Although, if you look at OSU's records, they actually show themselves as being down to Purdue (85-89), due to 6 vacated wins from 1999 to 2002.
* Of all OSU's B10 opponents, we have the best winning percentage, although it's unclear if we're 106–79 or 103-74 against them. The discrepancy seems to come from the same 1999 to 2002 period, during which we went 3-5 against them. Do cheaters vacate losses, as well as wins?
It seems weird to me that our toughest historical opponent has been Purdue. Purdue's has been OSU. OSU's has been us.
skyIdub
Winged Warrior
So is start Curbelo over Trent... this years "start Alan Griffin over DMFW"? It's even sillier.
Curbelo is getting starters minutes. Zero....less than zero....chance Trent comes off the bench.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
What's even crazier is that we have only gone 6-20 against OSU since Matt Sylvester's shot went in ... in other words, going into that game ranked #1 and at 29-0, we were 100-59 (.629) vs. OSU all-time.
So, you want to bring in our lock down defender, off the bench, to play against the other teams 2nd string guards. While leaving their best(starters) to feast on our lesser defender at guard. Got it
Leave it to 2020 to make the last week of the year 11 days long. Only explanation I can come up with to explain why Purdue game is taking so long to get here.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Hopefully the guys come in confident and hungry to keep beating down Purdue ... last year, we beat them by a combined score of 142-99. I know it's a new year, but clearly we match up well with Purdue on some level, and I am confident we match up even better this year with slightly better three-point shooting. I predict a similar game to PSU without Purdue starting as hot - in other words, we start out a bit flat and the game is close, but we go on a run in the late first half or early second half and end up winning by double digits:
#15 Illinois 76
Purdue 64
P.S. We owe Purdue a few beatings. Before sweeping them last year, we had lost four straight, with many of those being beatdowns. A particularly bad memory was an 89-58 loss in the 2016 BTT to cap off an especially disappointing and miserable season, lol. Good to be back to relevance, huh??
#15 Illinois 76
Purdue 64
P.S. We owe Purdue a few beatings. Before sweeping them last year, we had lost four straight, with many of those being beatdowns. A particularly bad memory was an 89-58 loss in the 2016 BTT to cap off an especially disappointing and miserable season, lol. Good to be back to relevance, huh??
How can one discuss Purdue and not post this picture of their former coach's wedding in Hawaii. Look at who the flower boy was,? LOL
skyIdub
Winged Warrior
The Sprouting Divot
Invisible and Bulletproof
- Miracle Mile
RIP, Ozone. Break it down on the great cardboard mat in the sky...He was even better at the reception!
Adolfo “Shabba-Doo” Quiñones Dies: Dance Pioneer & ‘Breakin” Star Was 65
Adolfo "Shabba-Doo" Quinones, dance pioneer and star of Breakin', has died.
deadline.com
JFGsCoffeeMug
BU:1 Trash cans:0
- Chicago
This gif will always get a like from me.He was even better at the reception!
altenberger22
- South Carolina
I saw an excellent comment over here a few days back (paraphrasing)....."I'm once again to the point where I expect to win every home game."
76 Illini
67 Boilers
Ayo and Kofi once again lead us to victory, and we get a really strong performance from one of Georgi, Adam, Trent or DaMonte.
76 Illini
67 Boilers
Ayo and Kofi once again lead us to victory, and we get a really strong performance from one of Georgi, Adam, Trent or DaMonte.
Agreed, let the beat downs continue.
I was there and man was that awful. Coming off a huge win against Iowa the day before, and we come out and get mollywhopped by PU. Sad day.
illiniswish09
- Northwest Suburbs
BBV cleared. Would be enormous if he’s able to contribute
TheFameProtector
- Champaign
I really hope for his sake he can avoid the injury bug for awhile. He has gobs of talent but some of the worst luck otherwise.
- Status